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PARK: Five of the greatest comeback victories in UFC history
Aug 11, 2010 - 8:55:47 PM PARK: Five of the greatest comeback victories in UFC history

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By: Chris Park, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

2010 is quickly turning out to be the summer of “The Comebacks,” as last Saturday saw the third great escape in as many months when Anderson Silva submitted Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.

First at UFC 114 undefeated contender Todd Duffee looked to follow up his record setting 7-second knockout of Tim Hague with another victory over the less than athletic looking Mike Russow.

Russow took the best that Duffee could throw at him for two rounds and the fight looked close to its conclusion on a number of occasions, only for Russow to somehow survive.

As Duffee appeared to be heading for a decision victory, Russow threw a looping shot that landed on the temple, knocking Duffee out cold with his head bouncing back up off the canvass. Up until this point Todd Duffee was regarded as the next man to work his way into the heavyweight title picture, but instead fell victim to what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

At UFC 116 in July, Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar survived a first round savaging at the hands of Shane Carwin, which Lesnar likened to “Hurricane Katrina,” before regrouping and submitting Carwin in the second round.

The heavyweight title was on the verge of changing hands as Carwin gave Lesnar the fight of his life. Brock Lesnar proved he not only has the heart of a champion but also the chin to match, as he came back from the brink to retain his title in impressive fashion.

Last weekend at UFC 117 Anderson “The Spider” Silva put on the comeback of all comebacks as the Brazilian endured 23 minutes of ground and pound misery at the hands of number one contender Chael Sonnen. He survived the onslaught, finishing the challenger with less than two minutes of the fight remaining.

This was the first time UFC fans have ever seen Silva in a dog fight, and Chael Sonnen comfortably won all of the first four rounds. Anderson Silva really pulled this one out of the bag, as he delivered the last-ditch triangle choke that would retain his title, in what has to be regarded as the greatest ever comeback in UFC history.

In light of Anderson Silva’s unforgettable win and the other recent comeback stories, it seems appropriate to look back at some of best comebacks in UFC history.


Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell (The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 Finale, 2006)

As the fourth installment of The Ultimate Fighter came to a head, new best friends Scott Smith and Pete Sell faced one another at the season finale.

Smith and Sell both came out swinging for the fences in a first round stand up war which saw the fighters high five on several occasions. With their friendship on the back burner, it was clear both fighters just wanted to put on a show for the fans.

Pete Sell had the better of the stand up in round two, staying in the pocket to connect with better shots, and landed a left hook to the liver that sent Smith reeling back to the fence in clear discomfort.

As Sell charged in to finish off his injured opponent, Smith literally put all his eggs in one basket as he threw a right hand that connected perfectly to knock Pete Sell out. Scott Smith then crumbled to the floor, rolling around in agony as the doctor moved in to examine what was suspected broken ribs.

This was like a scene from a movie as both men lay out on the canvas only two feet away from one another. Scott Smith was finished in this fight, but had one last shot in his right hand, and it was that shot which gave him this famous victory.


Antonio Nogueira vs. Heath Herring (UFC 73, 2007)

Minotauro Nogueira came into the UFC aiming to one day be the first man to hold both the Pride and UFC heavyweight titles. Nogueira would first have to overcome old foe Heath Herring, having defeated “The Texas Crazy Horse” in both of their previous encounters.

Nogueira was having the better of the stand up for most of round one before Heath Herring landed a picture-perfect head kick that laid the Brazilian flat out on the mat. Herring then pounced and landed a number of hammer fists, but with only twenty seconds of the round remaining Herring surprisingly decided to stand up and allow the clearly wobbled Nogueira back to his feet.

Herring struck again, sending Nogueira stumbling to the mat and leaving the former Pride champion clinging to Herring's leg to survive the round. The opportunity was missed by Heath Herring as Nogueira staggered back to his corner having been on the verge of suffering the first stoppage loss of his career.

At the start of the second round Nogueira was still clearly feeling the effects of the previous round but slowly came back into the fight, winning round two. The third and final round was more like the Nogueira of old with a dominating display that, despite a game performance from Herring, showcased his far superior ground game.

As the judge’s decision was rendered a unanimous one in favour of Minotauro Nogueira, Heath Herring was left ruing the opportunity he let pass him by. Minotauro once again lived up to his reputation of being able to take untold amounts of damage and still finding a way to win, and that’s exactly what he did here in his UFC debut.


Shonie Carter vs. Matt Serra (UFC 31, 2001)

At UFC 31, undefeated submission specialist Matt “The Terror” Serra made his UFC debut against “Mr International” Shonie Carter.

Serra displayed world class, high speed Jiu Jitsu throughout the entire first round, running rings around Carter. Serra was even getting the better of the stand up until Shonie Carter landed a spinning elbow that flattened Serra as the horn sounded for the end of round one.

The elbow was enough to let Serra know that his opponent was still very much in this fight, and after what was a closer second round, the third got underway with Serra transitioning at such a fast pace that Carter was struggling to keep up.

As the fight entered its final stages both men were looking tired, and with only ten seconds of the fight remaining, Shonie Carter connected with a vicious spinning back-fist that finished the fight. Serra was done, and Carter didn’t even attempt to follow up, instead celebrating what would become one of the most famous UFC highlight reel knockouts.


Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar I (UFC 81, 2008)

Going into this fight, the question on everyone’s lips was; could former pro-wrestling star Lesnar compete in a “real” combat environment? Lesnar answered that question early. Just five seconds into the fight, Lesnar shot and completed a huge takedown that sent the former champion Mir crashing to the mat.

Lesnar landed some heavy shots as Mir looked in danger of being stopped. Referee Steve Mazagatti bizarrely stepped in to call time-out, without any warning, and deducted a point from Lesnar after he deemed a strike hit the back of Frank Mir’s head. As the fight re-started, a straight right dropped Mir as Lesnar continued to punish his opponent.

Frank Mir failed with an arm bar attempt before locking in a perfect knee bar which forced the debuting Lesnar to tap and hand Mir yet another impressive submission victory to add to his record.

This was a tough fight for Frank Mir to take with very little to study on his opponent and many people not giving Lesnar a chance of victory. However, this performance, despite the loss, proved that Brock Lesnar was the real deal.

The fight only lasted 90 seconds, and for 88 of those seconds Brock Lesnar piled on the pressure and gave Frank Mir a beating, but like all true champions, Mir dug deep and found a way to win and subsequently placed himself in contention for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship.


Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II (UFC 52, 2005)

Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes defended his title against Frank Trigg for the second time at UFC 52, having submitted the challenger via rear naked choke at UFC 45.

Both men met in the middle of the Octagon tying one another up before a low knee from Trigg sent Hughes into retreat mode. The low blow wasn’t picked up by the badly positioned referee and Trigg dropped the champion with a left and followed up with a flurry of shots that left Hughes badly rocked.

The fight looked on the verge of stoppage as Trigg gave Hughes a dose of his own ground and pound medicine. Hughes then gave up his back, to offer Trigg the chance of like-for-like revenge for their previous meeting. Trigg struggled to control Hughes, but eventually locked in the rear naked choke as the blood rushed to the head of Hughes.

The Champion turned and escaped the choke, and as both men worked their way back to their feet, Hughes scooped Trigg up onto his shoulder, ran the length of the Octagon, and slammed the challenger into the mat.

Matt Hughes pounded down on the now exhausted Trigg, raining elbows and punches until Trigg turned to give up his back to the champion. Hughes rolled Trigg over and sunk in the rear naked choke; as the challenger tried to defend, Hughes converted into a deep choke that left Trigg with no choice but to tap.

Hughes survived one of the biggest scares of his career, albeit instigated by a low blow, and the champion came through to retain his title in dramatic fashion in what is just one of many examples of why this man is worthy of his place in the UFC Hall Of Fame.


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Chris Park is the MMATorch UK Specialist and guest columnist at ESPN.co.uk. Please email any comments or questions to Chris at; mmatorchuk@gmail.com or look us up at http://www.facebook.com/mmatorchuk2 our new MMATorch Facebook home for UK Fans!